Shredder rotors for garbage disposers



April 1963' J. H. ENRIGHT ETAL 3,083,922

SHREDDER ROTORS FOR GARBAGE DISPOSERS Filed Aug. 11, 1961 H63 F|G.4 FIG. 6

7 FIG. 5 44 37 a:

FIG? 26 FIGS 22 F|G.9 32% 227 a 27 g 33 a4 INVENTORS: JAMES H. ENRIGHT VERNON L. THOMPSON ATT'YS United States Patent 3,983,922 SWEDDER RGTQRS FGR GARBAGE BidiiGEEiid James H. Enright and Vernon L. Thompson, both of Racine, Wis, assignors to Kn-Sink-Erator Manufacturing (Ioinpany, Racine,Wis., tit-corporation of Wisconsin Filed Aug. 11, 1961, Ser. No. 139,866 Qlaims. (Cl. 241-4259) This invention relates to garbage disposers, and, more particularly, to shredder rotors for use in garbage disposers.

It is a primary object of the present invention to afford a novel shredder arrangement for garbage disposers, and the like, which is exceptionally practical and ethcient in operation.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a-novel shredder rotor for garbage-disposers, and the like.

Shredder rotors for garbage disposers have been heretofore known in the art. However, such shredder rotors as have been heretofore known in the art, have had several inherent disadvantages, such as, for example, having a relatively short service life; requiring a relatively prolonged period to complete the comminuting of material fed into the disposer; being relatively soft; not eiliciently handling certain soft materials such as, for example, orange peels or other fruit peels; not efiiciently comminuting, or completely failing to comminute certain harder materials such as, for example, hard bones, olive pits, and the like. It is an important object of the present invention to overcome such disadvantages.

Shredder rotors heretofore known in the art have commonly required from twelve to fifteen minutes to compietely comminute an ordinary charge of garbage, or the like, fed into a garbage disposer. 'It is an object of the present invention to afford a novel shredder rotor which will completely eomminute such a charge of material in substantially less time, such as, for example, in approximately three minutes.

Another object of the present invention is to afford a novel shredder rotor of 'the aforementioned type which will so comminute such a charge of material with less power than has been heretofore necessary with shredder rotors heretofore known in the art.

Yet another object of the present invention is to afford a novel shredder rotor which is highly effective on hard bones, olive pits, and the like, which have been heretofore difiieult, if not impossible, to grind in garbage disposers heretofore known in the art.

Yet another object of the present invention is to afford a novel shredder rotor of the aforementioned type which is also highlyelfective on soft materials, including "orange peels and other fruit peels, and the like.

Another object of the present invention is to afford a novel shredder rotor which is practical and efficient in operation and may be readily and economically produced commercially.

Other and further objects of the present'invention will be apparent fromthe following description and claims and are illustrated in the accompanying drawings which, by way of illustration, show a preferred embodiment-or" the present invention and the principles thereof and what we now consider to be the .best mode in which we have contemplated applying these principles. Other embodiments of the invention embodying thesame or equivalent principles may be used and structural changes may be made as desired by those skilled in the art without departing from the present invention and the purview of the appended claims.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary vertical sectional View through a garbage disposer including a rotor embodying the principles of the present invention;

3,633,922 Fateriteci Apr. 2, 1963 FIG. 2. is a top plan view of the shredder rotor shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary detail sectional view taken substantially along the line 3--3 in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary detail sectional view taken substantially along the line 4-4 in FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary detail sectional view taken substantially along the line 5-5 in FIG. 2;

HQ. 6 is a fragmentary detail sectional view taken substantially along the line 6-6 in FIG. 2;

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary detail sectional view taken substantially along the line 7--7 in FIG. 2;

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary detail sectional view taken substantially along the line 8-8 in FIG. 2; and

FIG. 9 is a fragmentary detail sectional view taken substantially along the line 1-9 in PEG. 2.

A comminuter rotor or shredder rotor 1, embodying the principles of the present invention, is shown in the drawings, mounted in a garbage disposer unit 2 to illustrate :the preferred embodiment of the present invention.

The garbage disposer 2 shown in FIG. 1 includes a motor and bell 3 disposed at the top of a motor 4, the windings of which are illustrated at 5. On top of the end hell 3 is a'cornminuter ring or stationary shredder 6 held in place by an outer housing 7, a gasket or ring 3, made of suitable material such as, for example, rubber, being mounted between the housing 7 and the upper edge portion of the comminuter ring 6. The inlet end portion 9 of the outer housing 7 is disposed above the stationary shredder 6, and a discharge outlet It) for the garbage disposer 2 is afforded in the end bell 3.

The motor 4 includes a shaft 11 which extends upwardly through, and is journalled, in a-suitable bearing and seal assembly 12 mounted in and carried by the end hell 3. The bearing and seal assembly v12 may be of any suitable type, but preferably is of the type shown in United States Letters Patent No. 2,814,449, issued November 26, 1957 to E. E. Wieczorek. The shredder rotor 1 is mounted on the upper end portion of the motor shaft 11 above the bearing and seal assembly .12, as will be discussed in greater detail presently.

The shredder rotor 1 includes a circular-shaped main body member or base plate 13 having a substantially flat upper face 14, and a downwardly projecting, centrally disposed boss 15. A sleeve 16- is mounted in and extends through the main body member 13 in radially centrally disposed position therein. The sleeve 16 is firmly secured in the main body member 13 by suitable means such as, for example, mounting it therein with a press fit. The sleeve 16 has an opening 17 extending vertically through the longitudinal center thereof and has a key slot 18 projecting radially outwardly from the opening 17, FIG. 2.

When the shredder rotor 1 is disposed in operative position in the garbage disposer 2, the upper end portion of the motor shaftdl extends upwardlythrough the opening 17, and is keyed to the shredder rotor l by a suitable key .19, FIG. 1. In this position, .the shredder rotor it rests on top of the bearing and sealassem'bly i2, and is held in position on the shaft .11 by a nut 28. In this operative position of the shredder rotor 1, the outer peripheral edge portion thereof is disposed in closely adjacent relation to the inner face of .the lower edge portion of the stationaryshredder 6, as shown in FIG. l.

A plurality of openings 2i extend vertically through the outer peripheral edge portion of the body member 13 of the shredder rotor 1 in inwardly spaced relation 'to the outer peripheral edge thereof. The openings 21 are spaced from each other around the peripheral edge portion of the body member in a circle, .the radialcenter of which is the radial center of the body member 13. The openings 21 are relatively small in'size, for example, in a shredder spear-22a rotor 1 having a diameter of five inches, the openings 21 preferably have a diameter of approximately one-quarter of an inch.

In the operation of the garbage disposer 2, all the material fed therethrough is fed downwardly through the inlet portion 9 into the shredder ring 6, from whence it passes downwardly either between the outer peripheral edge of the shredder rotor 1 and the adiacent inner face of the stationary shredder 6, or through the openings 21, and then is discharged through the discharge outlet 1%. Hence, the solid materials fed into the garbage disposer 2 must be comminuted to a relatively fine size in order to pass through or around the shredder rotor 1 into the discharge outlet 19.

Four cutters 22, 23, 24, and 25 are mounted on and project upwardly from the upper face 14- or" the main body member 13 of the shredder rotor 1. Each of the cutters 22-24 is disposed on a respective radius of the main body member 13, the radii being equally spaced from each other angles of 90, KG. 2. The cutters 24 and 25 are disposed immediately adjacent the outer peripheral edge of the main body member 13, and the cutters 22 and 23 are disposed in inwardly spaced relation to the outer peripheral edge of the body member 13, for a purpose which will be discussed in greater detail presently.

The cutter 22 is substantially rectangular in shape, when viewed in plan, PEG. 2, and is disposed on the main body member 13 with the longitudinal center line of the cutter 22 disposed on its respective aforementioned radius. The cutter 22 is substantially rectangular in transverse cross-sectional shape, FIG. 8, and has an inner face 26 which slopes upwardly and outwardly from the inner end 27 of the cutter 22, at substantially a 60 angle to the horizontal, through approximately one-third of the length of the cutter 22, FIGS. 2 and 7. The rear face 2 terminates at its upper edge at the rear edge of a substantially horizontally extending upper face 2% of the cutter 22, the upper face 23 constituting the top of an upper cutter portion 29 of the cutter 22, FIG. 7. The upper cutter portion 23 of the cutter 22 has a front face 3% which projects downwardly and forwardly from the front edge of the upper face 28 at substantially a 30 angle to the vertical, FIG. 7. The front face 3Q is substantially V- haped in transverse cross-section, the apex 31 of the V pointing outwardly and being disposed midway between the lateral sides thereof, FIG. 2.

The front face 36 of the upper cutter portion 2? terminates at its lower end at the rear edge of a substantially flat upper face 32 of a lower cutter portion 33, FIG. 7, the upper face 32 sloping upwardly and forwardly at substantially a angle to the horizontal. The lower cutter portion 33 also includes a front face 34 which projects downwardly and forwardly from the upper face 32 at substantially a angle to the vertical.

The cutter 22 is preferably disposed inwardly from the outer peripheral edge of the body member 1 3, a distance of approximately one inch. When the shredder rotor 1 is being rotated by the motor 4 in the garbage disposer unit 2, the upper cutter portion 29 is effective to cut and grind material of larger size, such as, for example, larger bones, larger orange peels, and the like. Also, it is effective to keep the materials in the garbage disposer 2 moving in the cornminuting chamber. The V-shaped or pointed face of the upper cutter portion 29 is also effective to split larger hard materials, such as, for example, bones.

The lower cutter portion 33 of the cutter 22 is effective to further reduce the size of the materials already cut and ground by the upper portion 29, and also to reduce the size of any of the other materials which are larger than one inch in size. Hence, it will be seen that after the cutter 22 has finished working on materials, such materials are of a maximum size of approximately one inch.

Cutter 23, like cutter 22, is substantially rectangular in shape in plan, PEG. 2. Also, it is substantially rectangular in transverse cross-sectional shape, FIGS. 2 and 6. It is l preferably spaced inwardly from the outer peripheral edge of the main body member 13 a distance of approximately one-half inch, and its longitudinal center line is disposed on its aforementioned respective radius of the main body member 1.3-.

The cutter 23 includes a substantially llat rear face 35 which projects upwardly and forwardly from the rear edge 36 thereof at approximately a 15 angle to the vertical. The rear face 35 terminates at its upper edge at the rear edge of the top face 37 of the cutter .3. The top face 37 is flat and extends upwardly and forwardly from the rear face 35 at approximately a 15 angle to the horizontal for substantially three-fourths of the length of the cutter 23. The cutter 23 also includes a substantially flat front face 38 which extends forwardly and downwardly from the front edge of the upper face 37 at an angle of approximately 15 to the vertical, and terminates at its lower edge at the front edge portion 39 of the cutter 23.

In the operation of the garbage disposer 2, when the shredder rotor 1 is being rotated by the motor 4, the cutter portion afforded at the upper face 37 of the cutter 23 is effective to break up and shred off parts of larger materials that cutter 22 keeps moving in the comminuting chamber. The cutting edge afforded at the front face 38 of the cutter 23 is effective to reduce the size of materials engaged thereby to a maximum size of approximately one-half inch.

The cutters 24 and 25 are identical to each other in construction, and are disposed at diametrically opposite sides of the upper face of the main body portion 13 to the shredder rotor 1, FIGS. 2, 3, and 4. Each is substantial trapezoidal in plan, FIG. 2, being elongated radially of the main body member 13, and having their larger ends being the radially inwardly disposed ends, FIG. 2. Each of the cutters 24 and 25 includes a substantially flat rear face 4-0 which projects upwardly and forwardly at substantially a 15 angle to the vertical. The rear faces 40 of the cutters 24 and 25 terminate at their at their upper edges at the rear edges of respective substantially fiat, horizontally extending upper faces 41, which afford the top of the respective cutter bars 24 and 25. Each of the cutters 24 and 25 also includes a vertically disposed front face or outer face 42 which terminates in vertically extending, uniplanar relation to the outer periphery of the main body member 13, and is curved along the same radius as the outer periphery of the body member 13, FIGS. 1 and 2. In addition, each of the cutters 24 and 25 includes two oppositely disposed side faces 43 and 44, FIGS. 2, 3, and 4. Each of the side faces 43 and of each cutter 24 and 2S slopes inwardly toward the other side face 44 or 43 at an angle of substantially 2 to the vertical. Also, the faces 43 and 44 of each of the respective cutters 24 and 25 diverge from each other from the outer face 42 toward the inner face 40 at an angle of substantially 40.

The cutters 24 and 25 are so constructed, and are so disposed relative to the stationary shredder 6, as to insure the fine comminuting of material necessary for the mate rial to pass through the garbage disposer 2. They are effective to so comminute all material which has been reduced in size by cutters 22 and 23, as well as other materials which may not have been acted upon by cutters 22 and 23, such as, for example, materials which were less than one-half inch in size when fed into the garbage disposer 2.

The cutters 24- and 25 are so constructed, and are so constituted and arranged on the shredder rotor 1, that they are highly effective to efiiciently cornminute olive pits and small hard bones which are difficult, or impossible, to comminute in garbage disposers heretofore known in the art.

The cutter 22 is preferably of substantially greater height than the other cutters 2325. For example, in one shredder rotor of the type disclosed herein and which has proved to be highly efiicient and practical in operation, the cutter 22 has an over-all height of of an inch with the lower cutter portion 33 being of an inch high, as compared to an over-all height of of an inch for the cutters '24 and 25, and over-all height of of an inch for cutter 23.

With such construction, the rotor 1 is highly effective to keep the material to be comrninuted moving in the shredder 6; progressively reduce in size all larger materials including both soft materials, such as fruit peels, and hard materials, such as hard bones; and effectively comminute even materials such as olive pits which have been heretofore considered difiicult, if not impossible to effectively handle in a garbage disposer.

The rotor body 13 and the cutters 22-25 may be integrally formed such as, for example, by casting as a unitary piece. The edges and corners of the cutters 2225 are preferably as sharp as it is possible to cast them, and the shredder rotor 1 is preferably made of hard steel, such as, for example, Nihard nickel produced produced and sold by International Nickel Company.

It has been found that detergents have a deleterious effect on shredder rotors, and to protect the rotor 1 against such deleterious effect, the lower face 45 thereof is pref erably hardened to over 60 Rockwell C.

From the foregoing it will be seen that the present invention affords a novel shredder rotor for garbage disposers, and the like, which is highly effective to quickly, easily, and efficiently comminute to the desired small size both soft and hard materials, including hard small materials such as olive pits and small hard bone particles which have been heretofore considered difficult, if not impossible to properly comminute in a garbage disposer unit.

Also, it will be seen that the present invention affords a highly practical and efficient shredder rotor for garbage disposcrs and the like, which may be readily and economically produced commercially.

Thus, while we have illustrated and described the preferred embodiment of our inventon, it is to be understood that this is capable of variation and modification, and we therefore do not wish to be limited to the precise details set forth, but desire to avail ourselves of such changes and alterations as fall within the purview of the following claims.

We claim:

1. A shredder rotor for garbage disposers, and the like, comprising a substantially circular-shaped base plate, said bas plate having a substantially flat upper surface, an opening extending therethrough in radially centrally disposed position therein, and a plurality of openings through said base plate, and four cutters projecting upwardly from said upper surface, two of said cutters being disposed on the outer peripheral edge portion of said base plate, the other two of said cutters being spaced inwardly from the first two mentioned cutters, one of said cutters being spaced inwardly from the first mentioned two cutters further than the other of said other cutters, both of said other cutters being elongated and extending longitudinally substantially radially of said plate, said one cutter having a cutter portion having a radially outwardly facing face which tapers radially outwardly in substantially a V-shape in horizontal cross-section, said other of said other two cutters having an elon gated substantially flat upper fac extending substantial- 1y radially of said plate, and each of said first mentioned two cutters having an inner end, an outer end disposed substantially radially outwardly of said inner end, and two oppositely disposed upstanding side walls, said outer end being narrower horizontally than said inner end, and said side walls slanting inwarly toward each other from said inner end to said outer end.

2. A shredder rotor as defined in claim 1, and in which said one cutter projects above said surface further than all of the other of said cutters.

3. A shredder rotor as defined in claim 2, and in which said two first-mentioned cutters project above said surface further than said other one of said other cutters.

4. A shredder rotor for garbage disposers, and the like, comprising a substantially circular-shaped base plate, said base plate having a substantially flat upper surface, an opening extending therethrough in radially centrally disposed position therein, and a plurality of openings through said base plate, and four cutters projecting upwardly from said upper surface, two of said cutters being disposed on the outer peripheral edge portion of said base plate, the other two of said cutters being spaced inwardly from the first two mentioned cutters, one of said other cutters being spaced inwardly from the first men tioned two cutters further than the other of said other cutters, both of said other cutters being elongated and extending longitudinally substantially radially of said plate, said one cutter having a cutter portion having a radially outwardly facing face which tapers radially outwardly in substantially a V-shape in horizontal cross section, said other of said other two cutters having an elongated substantially horizontally extending upper face extending substantially radially of said plate, and each of said first mentioned two cutters being substantially quadrilateral in horizontal cross-section and having a substantially flat upper face.

5. A shredder rotor for garbage disposers, and the like, comprising a substantially circular-shaped base plate, said base plate having a substantially flat upper surface, an opening extending therethrough in radially centrally disposed position therein, and a plurality of openings through said base plate, and four cutters projecting upwardly from said upper surface, two of said cutters being disposed at the outer peripheral edge of said base plate, the other two of said cutters being spaced inwardly from the first two mentioned cutters, one of said other cutters being spaced inwardly from the first mentioned two cutters further than the other of said other cutters, both of said other cutters being elongated and extending longitudinally substantially radially of said plate, said one cutter having an upper cutter portion and a lower cutter portion, said upper cutter portion projecting above said surface further than any of the other of said cutters and having a radially outwardly facing face which tapers radially outwardly in substantially a V-shape in horizontal cross-section, said lower cutter portion having a substantially fiat upper face projecting substantially radially outwardly from said upper cutter portion, said other of said other two cutters having an elongated substantially flat upper face extending substantially radially of said plate, and each of said first mentioned two cutters being substantially trapezoidal in horizontal cross-section and having a substantially flat upper face, an upstanding outer face extending along said peripheral edge, an upstanding inner face disposed substantially radially inwardly of said outer face, and two upstanding side faces slanting inwardly toward each other from said inner face to said outer face.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,697,558 Powers Dec. 21, 1954 2,753,121 Elfenbein July 3, 1956 2,852,200 Holzer Sept. 16, 1958 2,902,228 Higer Sept. 1, 1959 2,933,964 Wittlin Apr. 26, 1960 2,947,486 Higer Aug. 2, 1960 

4. A SHREDDER ROTOR FOR GARBAGE DISPOSERS, AND THE LIKE, COMPRISING A SUBSTANTIALLY CIRCULAR-SHAPED BASE PLATE, SAID BASE PLATE HAVING A SUBSTANTIALLY FLAT UPPER SURFACE, AN OPENING EXTENDING THERETHROUGH IN RADIALLY CENTRALLY DISPOSED POSITION THEREIN, AND A PLURALITY OF OPENINGS THROUGH SAID BASE PLATE, AND FOUR CUTTERS PROJECTING UPWARDLY FROM SAID UPPER SURFACE, TWO OF SAID CUTTERS BEING DISPOSED ON THE OUTER PERIPHERAL EDGE PORTION OF SAID BASE PLATE, THE OTHER TWO OF SAID CUTTERS BEING SPACED INWARDLY FROM THE FIRST TWO MENTIONED CUTTERS, ONE OF SAID OTHER CUTTERS BEING SPACED INWARDLY FROM THE FIRST MENTIONED TWO CUTTERS FURTHER THAN THE OTHER OF SAID OTHER CUTTERS, BOTH OF SAID OTHER CUTTERS BEING ELONGATED AND 